Holiday Diabetic Medications - amounts needed

[mum2westiesGill]

Will be spending 14 / 15 days in Lanzarote. I'm busy upto my eyes sorting holiday stuff out atm and wondered whether anyone would work out roughly how much of each to take away with me, plus to include any amounts i might need in case of any delays.

Humalog QA Insulin

Lantus BI Insilin

Pen needles - I use:
1 before bfast (QA), 1 before lunch (QA), 1 before dinner (QA), 1 before bed (BI), any injections which may be needed inbetween meals i use the needle from the previous meal,
(also just going on what my DSN told me is correct)

Lancets - I use:
1 per day
(DSN says i should really use 1 per test)

Testing Strips - I test:
always before each meal, before bed, plus any others

Thanks in advance.

 

[fencesitter]

Our DSN said take at least twice the amount you'll need of everything, in several separate bags, so if you lose any supplies or any get spoiled due to heat or whatever, you have plenty of backups. If you're travelling with other people, ask them to carry some of your stuff for the same reason, and don't put any of it in the hold of a plane (always in hand luggage). Also find out what your supplies are called in the country you're going to, and write it all down before you go. When we went to Italy I had a list of stock sentences such as "he needs sugar" "he is a diabetic on insulin" etc!!
So for 15 days, take 4 x 30 needles = 120 minimum
Same number of strips, plus a few more for extra tests, maybe 150?
Extra meter + spare batteries
30 lancets (have to say my son uses the same one for weeks 😱)
We used Frio wallets for keeping the insulin cool while we travelled about, and found it very good. Extra supplies were kept in a fridge back at base.
Have a great holiday!

 

[Copepod]

OK, then:

Humalog & Lantus insulins - calculate units per day for each, remembering to include 1 extra unit per dose. Then add 50% in spares, but absolute mimimum of 1 cartridge of each type should be left over at end of holiday.

Pen needles - 3 x 15 = 45 needles. Add say, 10 spare needles. So, 55 needles.

Lancets - 1 x 15 = 15 lancets. Add, say 5 spare lancets. So, 20 lancets

Strips - at least 4 x 15 strips, plus say 5 for failed tests and at least 3 days worth for delays. So, 77 strips or more.

Then, make sure you divide up supplies - needles and lancets fit easily into 35mm film pots (5 unused needles or 12 unused lancets fit in each pot, or you can mix to fit more items), then you can put used ones back into the same pots - clip off needle ends, discard large clear plastic caps, cap lancets. This saves having to take a sharps bin. I always keep one long acting insulin cartridge and one short acting insulin with each pen, so even if I lose one whole pen, I still have at least a few days worth.

Don't forget to carry everything in hand luggage and to have food to hand at all times. Have a great time 🙂

That amount of needles and lancets would see me for months!

 

[fencesitter]

Ha ha! Maybe we overdid it 🙂

 

[Monica]

Ha ha! Maybe we overdid it 🙂

Join the club!! I always take far too much, but I'd rather be safe than run out. I usually do what Copepod suggested, but then times 2. On our last holiday I took 4 vials of insulin. 4 vials usually last a month - we only went for one week 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I always take double of pretty much everything too.

Insulin needs might be lower in a hot climate, but then as it's a holiday you might be eating out more... more tempted to have treats/ice creams etc so I'd err on the side of caution and take lots.

You can always bring it back. After all - you'd only need to slip and drop one glass penfil cartridge/vial/pen and have it smash to cause a bit of a headache.

The only thing I don't massively overdo is lancets (mostly because I usually use the same one for months anyway 🙄)

 

[Phil65]

I normally take double or more of my normal usage. Also a spare meter and finger pricker (I had one break in Antigua before and the only one I could get from a pharmacy was like stabbing myself with a 6 inch nail....like going back in time!) wish I had a spare pump....so just take insulin pens as back up, just in case. Most of my stuff fits in a big quality street tin.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

OK, then:

Humalog & Lantus insulins - calculate units per day for each, remembering to include 1 extra unit per dose. Then add 50% in spares, but absolute mimimum of 1 cartridge of each type should be left over at end of holiday.

Pen needles - 3 x 15 = 45 needles. Add say, 10 spare needles. So, 55 needles.

Lancets - 1 x 15 = 15 lancets. Add, say 5 spare lancets. So, 20 lancets

Strips - at least 4 x 15 strips, plus say 5 for failed tests and at least 3 days worth for delays. So, 77 strips or more.

So here's what I'm taking

Humalog QA - maybe do like Monica and take 4 vials of insulin but then again maybe 8 vials hmmm! 😱

Lantus BI - 4 vials

Pen needles - 4 x 15 = 60 needles. Add 10 spare needles. So, 70 needles.

Lancets - 1 x 15 = 15 lancets. Add, say 5 spare lancets. So, 20 lancets

Strips - at least 4 x 15 strips, plus say 5 for failed tests and at least 3 days worth for delays. So, 77 strips or more.

Thanks to you all for helping me out while I'm washing, ironing, sorting holiday stuff out, packing......starting to get stressed out now, is it worth it!

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Then, make sure you divide up supplies - needles and lancets fit easily into 35mm film pots (5 unused needles or 12 unused lancets fit in each pot, or you can mix to fit more items), then you can put used ones back into the same pots - clip off needle ends, discard large clear plastic caps, cap lancets. This saves having to take a sharps bin. I always keep one long acting insulin cartridge and one short acting insulin with each pen, so even if I lose one whole pen, I still have at least a few days worth.

Don't forget to carry everything in hand luggage and to have food to hand at all times. Have a great time 🙂

In the past I've usually taken insulin vials still in their foil packets in a see through freezer bag - in hand luggage.
Pen needles - in another freezer bag - in hand luggage
Lancets - in another freezer bag - in hand luggage
Strips - in their own containers - in hand luggage

does this all seem ok?

I don't have any 35mm film pots like Copepod so would be grateful if anyone can suggest anything other than also having to take a massive 1 ltr sharps bin which I use at home. I go on Sunday so haven't much time left 😱

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Old cleaned out bleach/drain cleaner bottle might make a reasonable temp sharps container? Childproof lid would show willing at least!

If you had a needle clipper for the needles that would make sharps much easier to carry I think (though I'm not sure what we are actually *supposed* to do - a carrier bag might be just as legal tbh).

 

[Monkey]

TBH, I only ever take an empty water bottle, and try to stick the used needle back into the outer lid, if that makes sense.

In fairness that's only in the UK, but I'm fairly sure I did it last time we went abroad, years ago!

 

[ch1ps]

I don't have any 35mm film pots like Copepod so would be grateful if anyone can suggest anything other

What about the little pots test strips come in?

 

[Copepod]

Any tablet bottles / vitamin pill pots, ideally with childproof tops, will do if you don't have 35mm film pots. Or ask around - it's the sort of thing people hoard, then sometimes fail to find enough uses.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

So here's what I'm taking

Pen needles - 4 x 15 = 60 needles. Add 10 spare needles. So, 70 needles.

Lancets - 1 x 15 = 15 lancets. Add, say 5 spare lancets. So, 20 lancets

Strips - at least 4 x 15 strips, plus say 5 for failed tests and at least 3 days worth for delays. So, 77 strips or more.

Think I've counted a bit wrong here because basically I use:

4 pen needles per day so 70 needles if doubling up will be 140

1 lancet per day so 20 becomes 40

4 (or if needed more per day) so 77 becomes 154

am i right?

 

[HOBIE]

You should see me packing for a long motorbike ride. Did 2700mile this year camping in spain. Havnt got space for much ! 😉

 

[Phil65]

Think I've counted a bit wrong here because basically I use:

4 pen needles per day so 70 needles if doubling up will be 140

1 lancet per day so 20 becomes 40

4 (or if needed more per day) so 77 becomes 154

am i right?

wow....you go through some needles and lancets 😉....I hardly ever changed my lancets and only changed the needle when my cartridge ran out! 😱......I would, however take plenty of test strips....very expensive to buy abroad ....and a spare finger pricker just in case.

 

[Monica]

Think I've counted a bit wrong here because basically I use:

4 pen needles per day so 70 needles if doubling up will be 140

1 lancet per day so 20 becomes 40

4 (or if needed more per day) so 77 becomes 154

am i right?

Yes, that's what I'd do! But I'd pack 70 in one case and another 70 in a different case (we only ever travel with handluggage) etc.
Same with spare glucose monitor and ketone monitor. Everything double, but split into 2 cases 🙂

As for sharps bin, we usually used a water bottle, close the lid very tightly and put it in the normal bin. Carol's needles and lancets are not exposed in any way. Now she's on a pump, I have made a sharps bin out of an old plastic box which will come back home with us and I then transfer everything into the sharps bin at home.

 

[DeusXM]

Could be a bit overkill there - as others have said, some of this stuff doesn't necessarily have to be changed as frequently. I change my lancet about as often as I change my meter and you could easily get away with one lancet a week if you're really that keen to change them, so I don't think really you'd need more than 5 lancets, let alone 40!

Needles, I'll be honest I change them when I change my cartridge but that's not exactly good behaviour. But one a day would be fine so if you're going for 20 days, I'd say really you need 40 at the most and that's still probably overkill. The most crucial thing to have plenty of is insulin and test strips as these are the things you can't reuse.

Also, don't forget glucose tablets as well - you don't want to be stuck out somewhere having a hypo and no way to treat it.

 

[Monica]

Could be a bit overkill there

When Carol was on injections, she had no choice to use a new needle every time, as the needle became un-usable by design after first use.

 

[heasandford]

This is the scariest post I have ever read - I am off to Singapore and China for a month (my husband is working there at the moment) in October, can I carry it all?!!